Wrench.



W. CARMAN.

WRENCH.

APPLIUATION FILED APR.12, 1913.

1,089,321, Patented Mar. s, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

coLulalA PLANoolzAvn Co..wASH|NaToN, u. L.

f TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM CARMAN, GF ELLENVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT J. L. WOLF, OF ELLENVILLE, NEV YORK.

WRENCH.

roeaaei.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Application filed April 12, 1913. Serial No. 760,622.

To @ZZ whom it may; concerny Be it known that I, WILLIAM CARMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ellenville, in the county of Ulster and State of New York, have invented a new and lmproved Virench, of which the following is a full, clear, and exa-ct description.

This invention relates to a wrench of the quick-acting type, wherein a movable jaw is locked with respect to the shank or handle bar by a pawl or toothed lever which is held in engagement with the teeth on the shank during use of the wrench.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of wrenches of this character so as to be reliable and eiiieient in use, composed of few parts, and so designed as to be readily manipulated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of simple and effective means for locking the jaw-holding lever or pawl of the movable jaw releasably in engagement with the shank of the wrench, said locking means being in the form of a slidable key which is normally engaged with the pawl or lever to hold the same in locking position, said key being held in pawl-engaging position by a spring mounted on the movable jaw and engaged with the key.

With these objects in view, and others as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of my invention, and wherein similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a plan view of the wrench; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the movable aw in section; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-*3 of Fig. 2, to show the pawl-holding key; Fig. a is a fragmentary sectional view showing the key in pawl-releasing position; Fig. 5 is a side view of a modified form of wrench; and Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5, showing the parts respectively in locking and unlocking position.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the fixed jaw, which is shown integral with the shank or handle har 2, said shank having a series of teeth 3 for engagement by the pawl oi' lever 4 on the movable jaw 5, this Jaw being capable of freely sliding longitudinally of the shank 2, when the teeth 6 of the pawl d are released from the teeth 3, as shown in Fig. 2. This lever or pawl 4C is set into a chamber 7 in the rear side of the movable jaw 5, and is pivoted adjacent its center on apivot 8, the tail end 9 of the lever or pawl being depressible inwardly toward the shank against the tension of a spring 10 fastened in the movable jaw, which spring tends to hold the teeth 6 engaged with the teeth 3.

To lock the pawl or lever 4 in jawhold ing position a slidable device or key 11 is mounted in the movable jaw to slide transversely in a passage 12. One end of the key is formed with a stem 13 extending out of the opening 14- in the movable jaw, and provided with a head 15 to be engaged by the thumb for moving the key 11 to releasing position. Mounted on the side of the movable jaw opposite from the head 15 of the key 11 is a spring 16 secured at 17 on the movable aw and having a free end 18 which is adapted to extend over and engage the end of the key 11 opposite from the head 15.

in releasing the pawl or lever a preparatory to adjusting the movable aw the head 15 of the key is pressed inwardly so as to shift the key from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, the spring 16 yielding outwardly under the pressure applied to the key. While the key is thus held in the position shown in Fig. 4c, the tail of the pawl is pressed inwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, against the tension of the spring 10, and while the pawl is thus held released the movable j aw can be slid along the shank 2. 1While the tail of the pawl is held depressed it engages in the recess 21 and prevents the key from returning to normal position under the tension of the spring 16 if pressure is removed from the head 15, because the side 22 of the recess will strike the side of the depressed pawl. fis soon as the movable jaw is shifted to the right posit-ion the pressure on the tail of the pawl is removed so that the toothed end of the pawl will engage the teeth on the shank 2, and at the same time the key 11 is thrown back by the spring 16 from the position shown in Fig. fi to that shown in Fig. 3, whereby the edge 20 of the key passes under the tail of the pavvl and prevents the latter from being depressed.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the sliding key lla is connected by a hinge 25 with the spring 16 adjacent the 'ree end thereof. The spring is anchored at 16b on the side of the movable jaw 5, and the free end extends upwardly above the hinge 25 and carries a thumb or finger piece 26 Which can be readily engaged in order to throw the spring outwardly from the locking position shown in Fig. 6 to the unlocking position shown in Fig. 7, and While t-he spring is thus held the teeth 9 of the paWl el can be depressed to release the teeth of the paWl from the teeth of the Wrench shank, whereby the movable jaw can be adjusted back or forth on the shank of the Wrench to the desired position. As soon as the downward pressure is released on the tail end of the pawl the key lla Will return to normal position under the pressure of the spring 16a.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the method of operation and of the device shown will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to Whichv the invention appertains, and While I have described the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as are Within the scope ot the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as neT and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A Wrench comprising a xed jawcarrying Shank, a movable jaw on the shank,

a pawvl on the movable jaw, a key movable transversely of the movable jaw to and from pavvl-locking position, and a spring` on the movable jaw and engaging the key for normally holding the latter in operative positio-n under the pawl, said key having a portion adapted to engage the paivl when the key is in inoperative positiomvvhereby the paivl holds the key in such inoperative position against the tension of the said spring.

2. A vvrench comprising a iiXed jawcarrying shank, a movable jan' on the shank, a paWl on the movable jaw, a key slidable transversely of the movable jaw into and out of engagement with the pawl, and a spring mounted on the movable jaw and hingedly connected with the key and normally holding the key in locking position with respect to the pawl.

3. A Wrench comprising a fixed jawoarrying shank, a movable jaw on the shank, a paivl on the movable jaw, a key movable transversely of the movable jaw into and out of engagement with the pawl, and a spring mounted on the movable ja-W and hingedly connected with the key and normally holding the key in locking position with respect to the pavrl, said spring having its free extremity extending` upwardly above the jaw to form a thumb or finger pie-ce.

In testimony Whereot- I have signed my name to this specii'ication in the presence of the subscribing Witnesses.

IVI LIAM CARMAN. `Witnesses VViLsoN R. BENMAN, IioUis E. VERNON, Oscar: l. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents cach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente. Washington, D. C. 

